From Too Many Chefs - www.toomanychefs.com

July 13, 2004

Door County, Part 1 - Cherries

I spent the weekend up in picturesque Door County, Wisconsin (motto "Man, there are a lot of people from Chicago here."). Door County is just entering cherry season, and the cherry trees are everywhere. Pictured are the fruits of our journey - strawberries, two types of cherries (one sweet, one tart), and fresh rhubarb.

At the farm where we picked up the cherries, there is a cherry pit spit pit. That's not a typo. Once you've sampled the fruit of the cherry, you are encouraged to try to spit the pit for distance. The men's record is 95' 9". I'm not qualifying for the Olympics in pit spitting anytime soon, but I had a pretty respectable go.

The darker cherries in the picture above are the usual sweet dark Bing cherries you often see in the supermarket. They are perfect for pies with a little added lemon juice, and require very little added sugar. I like to eat them straight, savoring the dark juice that stains my teeth.

The little red cherries are Montmorency cherries and they have a kick to them. More tart than sweet, Montmorency cherries have the bright saturated color that people think of as "cherry red". I'd never understood why that color was called cherry red until I saw these fruit. I like to eat these straight as well and enjoy the tart pucker.

Yes, TMC is a cooking blog, but sometimes you gotta just enjoy great ingredients as is.

Comments

I think the picture of "pellet gun" Krause should have made the blog.

Posted by Bryan on July 13, 2004 at 10:40 PM

The cherry season is beautiful in Door County! The blossoms in May, the cherries in June and July - picture perfect! We love this part of the season in Door County. You can find lots of things to do in Spring and Summer. If you want more info about Door County, you can check our site at www.DoorCountyNavigator.com for reviews of inns, restaurants, things to do lists and more. Door County in summer is awesome! And now there's a place that rents Harleys by the day!

We love bringing cherries back on our way home from Door County...and YES, we're from Chicago!

Posted by Dawn on January 6, 2006 at 9:35 PM

Door County is beautiful any time of year! Plus the restaurants and B&B's rival any I've come across during my travels. Check out Door County's "A Kingdom So Delicious" event during the month of June. Insider tip: The best breakfasts can be found at a cozy little B&B in Ephraim named The Village Green Lodge.